Chong Co Woden January 27 2016

 RATING out of 5 stars:
Ambiance: ***
Taste: **
Value: **
Service; **
Overall : ** 1/2

After a very welcome dose of summer rain, the Canberra evening was cool and fresh - a balmy 17^oC (3.8^oC above the January monthly average).  Could we have picked a better night for dinner at the open-fronted Chong Cho Thai restaurant in Woden?  Clearly most of Canberra didn’t think so because we arrived to find the restaurant very crowded. 

 

Squeezing through the densely packed tables, we headed to the only empty table in the restaurant – a good size one in a back corner.  It seemed a little quieter there - more the level of an “energetic buzz” than “I can’t hear myself think”.  If truth be known, most of the discernible noise may even have been our own lively chatter because as the restaurant started to empty, we didn’t notice it getting any quieter.

Despite (or perhaps because of) this, the restaurant has a pleasant al fresco ambiance.  The service was also efficient and friendly.   It is therefore not surprising that it is a popular lunch time destination for workers in the Woden area. Would it work just as well as a dinner venue?  We were about to find out.

The menu wasn’t particularly extensive.  There were a limited number of traditional Thai dishes in the main menu (such as Pad Thai and green chicken curry) and hints of more modern Thai cuisine in the signature dishes (lamb shank massaman curry and lamb cutlet with chilli and basil).  We chose a mix of dishes from both parts of the menu opting for the salmon green curry and Massaman lamb shank curry from the signature dishes and crispy soft shell crab with tamarind sauce, a mixed seafood lemongrass, duck salad and a cashew nut tofu/vegetarian stir fry from the main menu. 

Both the signature and main menu dishes came out beautifully presented with a modern flourish.  The Massaman curry, for example, had a (vertical) lamb shank surrounded by a sea of curried sauce topped with a decorative coconut swirl (very reminiscent of latte art).  Most of the other dishes featured a colourful side salad and a wonderful array of carved vegetables.  Andrew felt that this approach became formulaic when repeated over a number of dishes.  The decorative elements also took up space on the plate leaving less room for the main component of the dish.  This meant that portion sizes were comparatively small making it difficult to share the dish among a larger group.  The problem was particularly noticeable in the mixed seafood dish where we needed to divide 2 prawns, 2 scallops, 2 calamari and 2 mussels among 7 people – an impossible task. 

 Given the excellence in presentation, we had high expectations of each dish.  However while all the main dishes were reasonably tasty, none were particularly memorable.  The slow cooked lamb (in the Massaman curry) and the salmon (in the green curry) were both perfectly cooked but were swimming in sauces that weren’t particularly interesting.  The sauces used in the cashew nut stir fry and duck salad were less prominent but didn’t seem to do much for either dish.  The cashew nut stir fry sauce was too sweet for the vegetable/tofu ingredients and the rich, creamy coconut dressing in the salad overpowered (rather than complemented) the duck meat.   

Our favourite dish of the night was the crispy soft shell crab which received consistently high marks from everyone. The crab was beautifully cooked in a light and crispy batter and although the sauce was quite sweet (and very similar to the cashew nut stir fry sauce), it matched the dish well.  The other dish that scored well (at least for the guys) was the massaman lamb curry with its tender, fall-off- the- bone meat. 

Our least favourite dish of the night was dessert (I never thought we’d ever say that!).  We chose the sticky rice and banana in a banana leaf but found no banana leaf and hardly any sticky rice.   The small amount of sticky rice in the dish was combined with banana into a bland and gelatinous patty which was then served with a dollop of cream and ice cream.  In terms of taste, texture and presentation, it was disappointing.   

 Although the dessert was expensive ($9.50), the cost of the overall meal was reasonable.  With 6 dishes and 3 shared desserts, we paid $27 per person and there was plenty of food for 7 people (although we did fill up a bit on salad). Overall we thought it was an OK meal but there are better (and better value) Thai restaurants in Canberra.  It also does seem to be more suited to a lunch time crowd and smaller groups (2-4) (where the portion sizes aren’t going to be an issue).   

Dish	Rating (mark/10)							Ranking*
	Andrew	John	Jim	Karen	Megan	Ron	Average
Green Salmon Curry	7.5	6	8	6	6	7	6.75	5
Lamb Shank Massaman	8	8	8	7	5	8	7.3	2
Vegetarian Cashew nut Stir Fry	NR	6	7	7	6	7	6.6	6
Duck Salad	6	6	8	7	8	7	7	Equal 3/4
Crispy Soft shell crab with tamarind sauce	8	7	7	8	8	7	7.5	1
Mixed seafood lemon grass	NR	6	7	7	7	8	7	Equal 3/4
Dessert (banana and sticky rice)	NR	4	5	3	NR	5	4.25	7

*dishes ranked according to average scores